Edo Health Agency Urges Hospitals To Strengthen Emergency Preparedness After Oluku Fire

The Edo State Healthcare Regulation and Monitoring Agency (EDOHERMA) has urged healthcare facilities across the state to strengthen infection prevention, emergency preparedness and patient safety measures following the recent Oluku fire incident.

The Chief Executive Officer of EDOHERMA, Dr Adesuwa Urhoghide-Edigin, made the call during a visit to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) to assess the condition of victims receiving treatment and evaluate the hospital’s compliance with established Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) protocols.

She stressed that preventing healthcare-associated infections, ensuring safe patient handling and maintaining hygienic treatment environments were essential to protecting patients and healthcare workers, particularly during mass casualty emergencies.

Urhoghide-Edigin said emergencies often place considerable pressure on healthcare facilities, making strict adherence to infection control procedures, effective patient triage and coordinated emergency responses critical.

She commended the Chief Medical Director of UBTH and the hospital’s Accident and Emergency team for their professionalism and dedication in managing the victims.

In response, the CMD reaffirmed the hospital’s commitment to maintaining clinical safety standards and collaborating with EDOHERMA to improve healthcare delivery.

The EDOHERMA chief executive also commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EDOSEMA) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society for respecting established hospital protocols during their visits to the affected patients.

She noted that visits by emergency responders and humanitarian organisations must not disrupt clinical care, compromise patient privacy or expose patients and healthcare workers to avoidable risks.

Speaking on lessons from the incident, Urhoghide-Edigin said emergency preparedness certification should become a fundamental requirement for healthcare regulation in Edo State.

She explained that hospitals must demonstrate not only the availability of equipment and facilities but also their personnel’s capacity to manage emergencies, prevent infections, coordinate responses and make timely referrals when cases exceed their capabilities.

She disclosed that EDOHERMA had developed a Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Manual for healthcare facilities in the state, which would be circulated to relevant stakeholders for input.

According to her, the agency would intensify efforts to promote emergency preparedness and infection prevention certification, periodic emergency drills, staff training, functional referral systems and continuous monitoring of healthcare facilities’ emergency response capabilities.

“Emergency preparedness must not be something we remember only when disaster strikes. It must become part of the everyday culture of every healthcare facility,” she said.

Urhoghide-Edigin added that healthcare regulation should focus on preventing avoidable failures rather than responding only after they occur.

She expressed sympathy with the victims of the Oluku fire and wished those receiving treatment a speedy recovery, reiterating EDOHERMA’s commitment to ensuring that infection prevention, patient safety and emergency preparedness remain central to healthcare standards across the state.